Al Iaquinta vs. Paul Felder rebooked for UFC 223

Paul Felder got his wish of a showdown with Al Iaquinta.

FloCombat.com initially reported that the fight was in the works for UFC 223 on Sunday night. Sources confirmed to MMA Fighting that the contest has been booked for the April 7 event at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center.

The lightweight bout was first scheduled for UFC 218, but Iaquinta was forced to withdraw due to injury.

Recently, the New Yorker rekindled his interest in the contest, claiming that he had named his price to the UFC if the promotion wanted to make the fight happen.

Speaking to MMA Fighting last week, Felder insisted that he would give up on facing Iaquinta if he didn’t get clarification on their meeting before the end of January.

“The Irish Dragon” has been enjoying the best run of his career with the UFC. After suffering a loss to Francisco Trinaldo at UFC Fight Night 95 in Brasilia in 2016, Felder collected three consecutive stoppage wins over Alex Ricci, Steven Ray and Charles Oliveira in 2017.

Iaquinta was on a four-fight win streak before taking a two-year hiatus from the sport, beginning in 2015. Despite citing contract issues with the UFC, he made his successful return at UFC Fight Night 108 in Nashville, where he recorded a memorable first round knockout over promotional veteran, Diego Sanchez.